Battery-protecting device for charging and lighting systems



R; VA RLEY. BATTERY PROTECTING DEVICE FOR CHARGING AND LIGHTING SYSTEMS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29,19I9.

1,3 1,651, A Pdtenfned Dec. 7,1920.

W WM IN V EN TOR.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD VARLEY,

0F ENGLEWOOD, NEW EIRSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 VARLEY DUPLEX MAGNET COMPANY, ACORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 7, 1920.

Application filed November 29, 1919. Serial No. 341,503.

To all to ham it may concern Be it known that I, RICHARD VARLEY, acitizen of the United States, residing at Englewood', in the county ofBergen and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Battery Protecting Devices for Charging and LightingSystems, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to battery lighting and charging systems, thegeneral object being the correction of a faulty action which sometimesoccurs in the operation of a well known type of such systems. In asystem comprising a. battery, a charging dynamo and an automaticcontrolling switch, when the dynamo is not charging the battery itsometimes occurs switch become accidentally or carelessly closedmomentarily, thereby permitting the battery current to energize theswitch and continuously holdthe battery circuit closed throughthecontacts, which results in a virtual short circuit and consequentexhaustion of the battery. To avoid this my invention contemplates theprovision of means for automatically incapacitating the contacts of thecontrolling switch either by positively locking them in open positionwhile the dynamo is not charging or by opening the circuit at some otherpoint so that if the contact should become closed accidentally orotherwise, they will convey no current during the periods when thedynamo is idle.

To more fully explain my invention reference will be made to theaccompanying drawingwhich is a. conventional representation of theapparatus and circuits of a battery lighting and charging system forautomobiles showing my improvement interposed therein. v

Referring to the drawing, G represents an electric generating machine ordynamo, B a

storage battery adapted to be charged by i said maclnne and C anautomaticcontrolling switch adapted to switch the current from thegenerator to the battery when the elcctro-motive force has risen to thepredetermined point suitable for charging. The

controlling switch comprises a magnetic core 1, two coils 2 and 3usually of unequal number of turns and an armature a-controlling a pairof contacts 5. The coils 2 and 3 are connected in series and one of thecontacts 5 is connected. with the circuit between. the

that the contacts of the and the-reaiter cannot be used for two coils,the other contact 5 being carried by the armature. The contacts arenormally held open by a spring 6. g is the shunt field coil of thedynamo, and 7 8, and

9 indicate lamps with their switches adapted.

to be supplied with current by the battery or generator. The operationof this portion of the system is as follows: \Vhen the battery i he issupplying the lights, the current flows from the battery through thewire 10, and the lamps 7, S and 9 to the ground, and from the ground'back to battery. It the dynamo G is running at the same time at a ratebelow its charging rate, its circuit will be directly through coils 2and 3, field coil 9 and wire 11. It the generator is running at acharging speed the magnetism of the core 1 of the controlling switchwill be suflicient to draw the armature 4: downward and close thecontacts 5, thus establishing a circuit from the generator through thecoil 2, contacts 5, armature +iand to ground by Wire 12. From ground thecurrent divides between the lamps and the battery and returns by wire 11to the generator. If the lamps are not in operation the entire currentfrom the generator will pass from ground 13 through the battery and bwires 10 and 11 back to the generator. Vhen the car stops, or thegenerator for any reason is not driven, the armature 4: of thecontrolling switch'is normally drawn against its back stop F by thespring 6 and the contacts are held open. In this system as described ithas been "found that occasionally, by accident or carelessness, thearmature 4 is forced downward momentarily until the contacts 5 arebrought together. This may be caused by an Imusual shock or bump givento the car when standing, or a workman may touch the armature and pushthe contacts together. When this occurs it will be seen that a virtualshort circuit is established from the battery through wires 10, thearmature of G, coil 2, contacts 5, armature to the ground and batterysince the resistance of the armature when not in .motion is very low,owing to the absence of a counter-electro-motive force. The circuittraced is therefore held closed continuously, owing to the magnetic pullon the armature of the coil 2. The battery because of this very lowresistance in the external circuit rapidly loses its charge vehiclestarting purposes until recharged. Rapid discharge of a storage batteryin this manner is very likely to seriously damage its plates. A smallamount of current also passes through a shuntcircuit including the fieldg and coil but as the resistance of this branch is very high, no greatharm results therefrom.

My improvements are designed to overcome this dilliculty and for thispurpose an.

additional armature 1i is provided for cooperation with the lower end ofthe core 1. The armature 1% is normally retracted by a spring 15somewhat weaker than the spring (5 which retracts the armature and isprovided with an arm 16 which extends at an angle to the armatum andforms therewith a. bell crank lever pivoted 17. T he extremity of thearm 16 is normally beneath the armat-ur and locks or latches the latterin. its retracted position where the contacts 5 are separated. it willnow be seen, that when the voltage. of the dynamo rises to the chargingpoint the two armatures i and 1% ill be attracted, the latter operatingslightly before the former because of its weaker retractile spring andswinging to a position to carry the arm 16 out of engagement witharmature i whereupon armature responds and closes'the circuit atcontacts 5 to establish the charging connectioi'i. When the dynamoceases to generate, both armatures are released, armature l responding alittle ahead of armature 1i and going to its back stop where it isimmediately locked by the arm 16. in this condition it will be seen thataccidental touching oi the arn'iature i cannot bring the contacts 5 intoen agenient nor can any jarring which may he delivered to the armaturecause its contacts to function. The contacts 5 are thereforeincapacitated, being unable to convey current while the 'car is not inuse or the generator not running or at a. charging speed; hence it isimpossible for the battery to be shortcircuited from the causes abovepointed out. To increase the eliiciency of the magnetic circuit. 1 mayprovide a core 18 disposed similarly to core 1 between the armatures iandlsl, and the arm 16 will preferably be formed of a non-magneticmaterial.

1 claim:

1. The combination of an electr c generating machine. a storage batteryadapted to be charged thereby, an armature, resilient means foryieldingly holding' the armature in one position, electromagnetic meansconnected to said generator and adapted to shift said armature toanother position against the action of the resilient means when thevoltage of the generator has reachcd a predetermined value, contactmeans controlled by the armature when in the second meninned positiontor connectin the battery and generator, and. when in the firstmentioned position for disconnecting the battery I and generator andlocking means controlled by the electromagnetic means for prevent by thearmature when in the second mcn-,

tioned position for connecting" the battery and generator, and when inthe first mentioned position for disconnecting the battery andgenerator, and locking means controlled by .the electromagnetic meansoperative, when the voltage of the generator is below said predeterminedvalue, to lock the armature against movement to its second mcntionedposition.

The combination of a shunt wound glenerat-ing machine, a storage batteryto he charged thereby, a device ii'lcluding a coil connected in serieswith. the field for connecting the generator and battery when thevoltage in the generator equals or exceeds a certain value, and meanscontrolled by the said coil for preventing operation of said do vice toconnect the generator and battery when the voltage of the generator isbelow a certain value.

l. The combination of a shunt wound new orator. a storage battery to becharged then-.- by, a magnetic coil connected in series with the field,an armature responsive to said coil when the generator is operating; ata charging rate, a. charging circuit closed by the armature whenresponsive to the coil, and means controlled by the coil for preventingclosing' of the charging circuit by the armature when the generator isidle.

5. The combination of a shunt wound generator, a storage battery to becharged then by, a magnetic coil connectcd in series with the field, anarmature responsive to said coil when the generator is operating at acharm ing "ate, a charging circuit closed by the armature whenresponsive to the coil. :1 sccond armature controlled by said coil torlocking the first mentioned armature against a circuit closingmovementwhen the ceucrw tor isidle.

(3. The combination of an electric generating machine, a storage batteryadapted to be charged thereby, two circuits both of which include thebattery and one including the generating machine, a pair of contactsthrough which both circuits lead, a latch 10 first m'n'mture 111 opencircuit position {1111i two circuits both including sai fi (iOR fiLiSone of said circuits carryii'ig; i'he ci'mrgin; current and the otherbeing a shunt cire'uif of the battery, and a cireuii'; iqclueinggenerating machine fer energizing; the ('i euitcontroller.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my signature.

RICHARD V2111 T1

